Building a Team: Forming

Unless you’re stranded alone on a deserted island, chances are good that you are part of a team on a regular basis.

It may be a small team, it may be a large team, but these teams help us accomplish our common goals and further our mutual causes.

So, how does building a team work?

Do you wake up one day and boom – immediately your team is the best of the best? Of course not! Group development is a process. It takes work. We know, we know, who wants more work, right? Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to make the process less ‘ugh’ and more ‘ah!’. Where else to start but the beginning?

Bruce Almighty: On Day 1, Tuckman created Forming.

True, it takes putting a group of people together to have a team, but as you know it’s a lot more than just “Hello, My Name Is…”. You’ve been part of a newly formed team. Remember that first week or two – the pleasantries and polite dance? That, my friend, is Phase 1: Forming a Team.

Phase 1 of building a team is all about learning roles and building relationships.

You and your team members get to know one another as well as the job at hand. The leaders begin to emerge in this stage, and everyone else gets a feel for how their piece fits into the puzzle.

There’s not much conflict in Phase 1, generally. You and your new teammates are too busy learning about each others’ styles and personalities.

That also means that the team is probably not as productive as they will be in later stages. You just haven’t gotten into your groove yet – that’s where TeamBonding comes in.